Dentist reveals four things he’d absolutely never do

When it comes to looking after your teeth, the general guidance out there seems pretty simple - brush twice daily for two minutes and floss if you're feeling extra vigilant.

But, it turns out there are countless things we do every day that could actually be causing damage to our pearly whites.

Now, one dentist has revealed four things he'd never do when it comes to oral hygeine.

Appearing on Australian TV show Sunrise, Dr Ben Hargreave, Principal Dentist at Dental Boutique, shared his absolute no-gos.

Drinking lemon water or apple cider vinegar in the morning

He starting by saying: "I would never drink lemon water or apple cider vinegar in the morning.

"A lot of people think you can do this to strip some excess kilos, but what it does is it actually strips the enamel off your teeth. If you're doing this every morning, over time it can really damage your teeth."

Using string to pull out a tooth

Did you ever pull out a wobbly tooth with some dental floss when you were a kid? Or, more likely, had your dad do it for you? Also a major no-go for the Aussie dentist.

"I would never yank out a tooth with a piece of string," he continued. "If you think of a tooth as almost like an iceberg, you've got the crown that's on the top. But deep underneath you've got roots as well. Often, if a string is used to yank the tooth off, the crown snaps and leaves the root behind.

"This can cause a lot of pain, it can cause an infection and sometimes, if it's a [baby] tooth, the adult tooth can't come up properly as well."

Using store bought whitening gels

Another thing to avoid? Store bought teeth whitening gels.

Dr Hargreaves explained: "We don't really know what's in these. Sometimes they can contain acidic products. But the worse thing is it doesn't come in a custom tray and people often put excessive amounts in. This can lead to chemical burns in the mouth." Ouch!

Hard bristled toothbrush

And lastly, the dentist warned: "I would never use a hard bristled toothbrush.

"If you think of your teeth like a marble bench, for instance, if you're scrubbing at that constantly with something that's really abrasive, you can actually damage the surface of the teeth.

"Most people think that the harder you scrub, the more effective you'll be at removing the bacteria around your gums but the opposite is actually true. A really soft toothbrush is just as effective and it won't harm your teeth or your gums."